State Drops Charges Against Rev. Alberto Cutie's Romantic Rival

Maxi Ratunuman will soon be a free man. The Indonesian ex-lover of Ruhama Canellis, wife of celebrity clergyman Rev. Alberto Cutie, was arrested this past June 6 by the Village of Biscayne Park Police Department.

Ofcr. Raimundo Atesiano and Capt. Antonio Sanchez arrested Ratunuman for trespassing and for not having a valid driver's license. Today, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office dropped the case.

Spokesman Ed Griffith said the Biscayne Park cops made a "bad" arrest. "Mr. Ratunman recieved mail and had permission from the owner to be at the house he was allegedly trespassing," Griffith explained. "And he had a valid driver's license from Texas."

Griffith added the state attorney's office is also reviewing the case to determine if the officers broke any laws in arresting Ratunuman.

In a lawsuit filed last month against the police men, Canellis, Cutie, and the Biscayne Park Police Department, Ratunuman accused his ex-girlfriend and her new husband of conspiring with Sanchez to have him arrested and deported out of the country. In the complaint, the 44-year-old handyman, who is in the country illegally, claims the newlyweds wanted him "out of the picture." Ratunuman's arrest was detailed in this recent New Timesstory.

Robin Hellman, Ratunuman's criminal defense attorney, says her client will be released by immigration authorities pending the ouctome of his civil case. During that time, Hellman says, her client will be staying at an undisclosed location.

"He is scared to death of Sanchez," Hellman asserted. "Maxi even wanted to remain in jail he is so in fear of his life."

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